The email, which has circulated among retired and serving Canadian Forces members as well as journalists, also attacks a retired Australian air force officer who has raised questions about the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and an Australian aviation analyst who has done the same.

In the email, Hawn said Defence Department officials working on the JSF project have integrity and experience while suggesting those who question the aircraft program are ill-informed.

“We also have a guy named Mike Slack, who has been exclusively involved with JSF for close to 10 years, and who knows the BS that former ADM (Mat) Alan Williams is spreading,” Hawn writes.
Williams, who was Slack’s boss at one time, calls Hawn’s remark unethical and distasteful.

“He doesn’t want to debate the issues,” said Williams, who signed the original agreement committing Canada to taking part in F-35 research and development. “Instead he just attacks the individual.”

Williams, who served 33 years in the federal government, points out he isn’t against the F-35 program. But he has raised concerns the sole-source deal, expected to cost Canada between $16 billion and $21 billion, hasn’t followed the proper procedures.

He argues that holding a competition involving various aircraft would ensure the military gets the jet they need while saving taxpayer’s significant amounts of money.

Neither Hawn, Slack, nor the Defence Department could provide details about the “BS” that Williams was allegedly spreading.

The Defence Department stated Slack was not available for an interview.

Hawn’s office originally said he would comment but instead MacKay’s office responded. In that response, MacKay’s spokesman Jay Paxton outlined the various positive aspects of the F-35 program.

“I know Mr. Hawn feels the same as I: Mr. Slack is a procurement expert who has been open and honest with Canadians about the important military and industrial investments this government is making in Canada’s future through the procurement of the F-35,” Paxton noted in the email.

The concerns raised by Williams, who was involved in the JSF program in its early days, have particularly stung the Conservatives.

It’s also not the first time that Williams has been targeted by the government. In October, Prime Minister Stephen Harper claimed Williams changed his views on the F-35 once he left government.

But a review of briefing notes and statements made by Williams to Commons committees shows he has remained consistent in his views. “I’m still waiting for an apology from the prime minister on his claims but I doubt I’ll get one,” Williams said.

Williams said he believes the government efforts are similar to the attacks made on public servant Richard Colvin, who raised questions about the fate of Afghan detainees captured by the Canadian Forces.
After Colvin voiced his concerns, Conservative cabinet ministers such as MacKay launched an unprecedented series of personal attacks on him.

In his email, Hawn states the government is having difficulty explaining the F-35’s unique capabilities to the public.

But the government’s position has been supported publicly by a number of retired officers. Former air force commander Angus Watt and retired chief of the defence staff Paul Manson have produced a number of articles supporting the F-35 purchase for the Ottawa Citizen, Edmonton Journal and Toronto Star.

The Harper government’s plan to buy the plane has also had strong support from the Ottawa-based Aerospace Industries Association of Canada.

The AIAC, which represents aerospace firms, has issued news releases condemning the Liberals’ anti-F-35 advertisements as well as a parliamentary motion by the party to cancel the jet purchase.
Conservative ministers have also repeatedly used statements from AIAC president Claude Lajeunesse to counter the Liberals.

But Liberal industry critic Marc Garneau said he believes the normally non-partisan AIAC has stepped over the line with its attacks on the Liberals, and now has aligned itself with the Conservatives.

“Not everyone in the aerospace industry is equally enthusiastic about the F-35,” said Garneau. “I think they’re very careful to remain neutral for the simple reason that governments change.”

AIAC spokeswoman Maryse Harvey said the association is not a mouthpiece for the Conservatives but is instead focused on what is best for the aerospace industry. She noted the association has never launched any attacks on the Liberal party by name.

Harvey, however, acknowledged that one of the AIAC news releases refers to the “Official Opposition,” which is the Liberal party.